Here's why Russell Wilson didn't change the Steelers' Super Bowl odds
Russell Wilson stole the sports spotlight on Sunday when reports surfaced that the former Super Bowl champion will be joining the Pittsburgh Steelers. Oddsmakers also took notice — but which way did the pendulum swing?
You would think that adding a future Hall of Fame quarterback would improve a team's odds at the major sportsbooks, or at least move the needle a little bit. Wilson certainly seems like an upgrade to the inconsistent tandem Mike Tomlin had under center this past season.
So it has come as a bit of a shock to learn that acquiring Wilson didn't change the Steelers' futures at DraftKings at all, as they remain 75-1 long shots to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy next winter.
What gives with the lack of movement?
Bleacher Report summarizes it perfectly: Wilson's disappointing stint with the Denver Broncos makes him a less than encouraging addition to the team — which is probably why he is also a 150-1 long shot at DK to win Offensive Player of the Year.
"Mike Tomlin's ability to coax winning football out of even his worst rosters is admirable, but a post-prime Wilson no longer moves the needle enough to make the Steelers anything more than a mid-tier team that will finish with 7-10 wins," they said. "The only thing that could make Pittsburgh a legitimate Super Bowl threat is Wilson turning back the clock and becoming the 2020 version of himself again."
Wilson improved in his second campaign in Denver and finished with a 26-8 TD-INT line, however he only threw for 3,070 yards which ranked him 19th in the league. The team around him didn't fair much better, as they went 5-12 in his first season and only improved to 8-9 in 2023.
It doesn't help either that the rest of this Steelers team doesn't instill a lot of confidence. They have been a disappointing and inconsistent product in the post-Ben Roethlisberger years, and their 12th-ranked offensive line hasn't helped weapons like Najee Harris or George Pickens get the ball down the field. Pittsburgh had made a few changes to its O-line this offseason, but the entire front will have to be significantly better.
Especially in front of a very seasoned quarterback who got sacked 45 times in 2023.
So for now, the Steelers' Super Bowl odds remain unfazed by Russell Wilson. At this rate, the only thing that will change those odds is if Pittsburgh starts off their 2024 campaign better than oddsmakers expect them to.
We'll just have to check back in at the start of football season to see if anything has changed.
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